I spent time listening to some very successful people speak while driving to work this morning, and so much of what they said resonated with me. I’ve had recent conversations with friends and family over this very same topic.
Our lives will change when we change our standards.
Most of us know what self-fulfilling prophecies are and how they work. We live who we believe we are. Meaning that whatever we attach our identities to is who we are and become and stay.
Examples: If I say I am not smart enough, this is how I am. It doesn’t matter what I do I will always be not smart enough. That is my standard and I will maintain this identity because that is who I see myself as. If I say I am broke, I will always be broke because that is who I have set my identity as…the broke girl.
(—- side note—-I’ve never liked the concepts behind some of those groups that have you repeatedly say things like, “I’m an alcoholic….” because if you have given it up and raised the standards for yourself, you are no longer an alcoholic. Stop identifying yourself as one. Don’t ingrain that into your brain. I also don’t like it when people say, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” No, if you have found Jesus and accepted Him as your Savior, you are no longer a sinner. “Sinner” is no longer your identity. Continuing to use it as such just gives you excuse to do so, allows you to “slip back” because you’re “an alcoholic/sinner/whatever”, and lowers your standards of how you need to live. You are a new creature. You have a new identity.)
Once you lock in that identity, that is who you will settle with being. This is why it is so important to train kids from a young age that they can achieve greatness because they have greatness inside of them.
If you set your standards higher, you will rise to them.
So RAISE YOUR STANDARDS. Start daily habits and rituals to reach them.
But….
Other people have more time than me.
They can do more than me.
They are smarter than me.
They have more drive than me.
They have more money than me.
They blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
STOP.
Are you content with that?
If you are not, RAISE YOUR STANDARDS and start daily habits/rituals to define you.
All the results in your life come from a daily ritual/habit. Think about that.
Push yourself to grow.
Michael Jordan wasn’t born the greatest basketball player. He became it. He pushed himself. He set high standards for himself. He was in competition with no one but himself.
Don’t like the results you are currently seeing? Don’t like that your relationship has lost its spark? Don’t like that your mood is blah all the time? Don’t like that your life is seemingly going nowhere? Evaluate what got you there. Set higher standards for yourself. Start new habits. Speak different truths about yourself. Daily.
I don’t want to wait for the ship at the airport.